Things to Do After Registration

This is about what happens after a user registers. It has two focuses

1. What should be done
2. How it can be, should be, and might be done

At the monent, the registration code:

• Creates an entry in the TWikiUsers topic
• Creates an entry in the .htpasswd file
• Creates the users home topic in the %MAINWEB% web

In HowToAvoidRegistration some pros and cons of that are discussed. I'd like to take that discussion off in a slightly different direction.

HowToAvoidRegistration assumed a Dakar baseline. I will too.

Dakar uses a 'plugable' mechanism for user authentication after registration. The $cfg{LoginManager} set how logoins are handled: via Apache or within TWiki via a set of customizable templates.

Ideally, a similar arrangment could be used to customise the registration process in the future.

But what about now?

What does the TwikiAdmin do after a user registers?

Like everything else ... "It All Depends". What might need to be dome.

• The user may need to be added to groups.
  The issue here is how to determine if that is the case. If the registration form is entended to offer checkboxes, then there is the begining of a route to automation. More on that later.
• The user may need additional topics created.
  See HowToRestrictEditButAllowComment for one example. There may also be custom user Topics in a "Users" web.
• There may need to be additional arbitrary external functions called.
  The user may have asked for certain features - adding to access lists or groups for example - that will only be permitted if external conditions hold.
  Registering at a professional membership support site would require verifying that the name and membership match and that the membeship had not expired by consulting an extternal database.

• The user should be notified by E-Mail that these actions have been completed.

How it is Done (or not as the case may be)

At present the Dakar code has a hook to call a registration handler

sub finish {
   ....
   .... build user tiopic
   .... add to password system
   .... 

    $session->{plugins}->registrationHandler( $data->{WebName},
                                              $data->{WikiName},
                                              $data->{LoginName} );

   .... add user to TwikiUsers 
   .... write log entry
   .... display 'thank you'
}

At present there is only one plugin that has a registrationHandler - NatSkinPlugin. And it doens't work. Its API is incompatible.

Lets leave aside for the moment the fact that a skin is an inappropriate palce to put such a handler (Imagine if every skin had one!) The code in NatSkinPlugin is interesting.

• ... TO BE COMPLETED

-- AntonAylward - 08 Oct 2005